Wine bar Solera, modern and cozy

Posted on 2 June 2012

Wine bar is not a new phenomenon in Istanbul. They came here to the shores of the Bosporus with the first Greeks in 685 B.C. You could drink several wines and have some food in their tavernas in Byzantium/Constantinople from the first days they set foot on these lands.

Viktor Levi – Viktor Levi Sarap Evi – is one of Istanbul’s oldest wine houses in Beyoglu. Pano is another of the better known wine bars, really a modern equivalent of the traditional Greek taverna.

I just discovered the newest wine bar, ‘Solera’, close to the Galatasaray Lisesi. Solera, operated by owner and professional wine waiter Süleyman Er.

Solera wine bar offers a wide selection of wines available by the glass. Like several wine bars Solera specializes on wines of a certain origin: South Africa, South America, California and Turkey.

This is not your typical “stand alone” establishment. Solera also offers breakfast, several kinds of mezze (appetizers), salads, coffees, tea and cheeses.

This modern decorated wine bar, with tables and chairs, also sells the wines they serve. It functions as a hybrid between a wine shop and a wine bar.

Wine waiter Süleyman Er is proud to show his new wine bar. “We will have art exhibitions as well and very soon regular wine tastings.

At the moment the cheapest wine by the bottle is 28 TL (Turkish Lira); 8,5 TL by the glass. The house wine is Pamukkale Senfoni. And the most expensive bottle of wine is Kavaklıdere Pendora for 110 TL.

It is a pleasure to taste a couple of glasses of wine here before you go for dinner in one of the nearby excellent restaurants. Being served by Süleyman makes the experience a double pleasure!

2 responses to “Wine bar Solera, modern and cozy”

Just visited Istanbul for the first time with a few girlfriends and happened upon this place one night…. So nice and chill that we went back there on our last night in town to celebrate a great trip…. Such great service, unpretentious decor, good apps and wine. The perfect end to our trip!